The First Drop

In 2009, Simon Dumont wanted to create an opportunity for young and rising East Coast skiers to gain exposure right here at his home mountain, Sunday River. Five Dumont Cups later, the success stories of amateur skiers like Nick Geopper and Gus Kenworthy winning the Dumont Cup and stepping into the pro scene not only satisfied Simon’s vision, but inspired us here at Sunday River to build a better terrain park.

In collaboration with Simon and Snow Park Technologies (SPT) we spent the past several months dreaming, drawing, clearing, blasting, and sculpting 15 acres of North Peak into what will be the playground for the future of this sport. The 18’ Superpipe, jib park, all-natural tree lines, and progression jump line would provide the bigger ups and longer lines necessary for the up-and-coming East Coast athletes to rise to the top.

What started as an idea became a reality today. As the longest park open in the East this season, the full-sized multi jump line followed by nearly a dozen features in the jib park runs top to bottom at 2,100 feet.

The official first drop on T72.

The 2,100 foot long park on T72 was impressive by mid-winter standards even though it is only early December.

Excitement was high in the new park. Morgan, the park manager, and his crew worked tirelessly to produce what most would consider a mid- to late-winter park. Their hardwork and dedication paid off as expectations were well exceeded. Buzz filled the air over the thrill of a new dedicated park trail. Or maybe it was the limited-edition Sunday River neckies the Park Crew passed out. Hard to tell, either way?

A look up the jump line at the top of the jib park. T72 opens as the longest park open in the East.

The 18’ Superpipe will require more snowmaking before it can open. To give you an idea as to how big it will be, the earthwork alone is 512 feet long. Add in the snow on top of that and we’re looking at one massive Superpipe. Needless to say, we’re pretty excited to get the pipe going and when it does open, expect a massive celebration. And more neckies.